Tribal Gathering
by SilverWolf7
Summary: Sixth story in the Lucifer's Flock series! Chloe and the Tribe get together at Lux to gossip about Lucifer, how they found out about him being the devil and his wings. They learn a few things about each other along the way.
1. Lux

Sixth story in this series! Yep, thre are still five others in the planning and possibly more after that. This little series of mine is taking off and growing at a tremendous rate, and I am loving this so much. I've never written such a long series of short stories before. I just wish it was easier to navigate them here at .

* * *

Tribal Gathering

Chloe was glad to get out of the house. The weekends were usually filled with Trixie during the day if she wasn't called into work. Unfortunately, Dan had her for the days this weekend, and so her day was spent doing housework and reading.

She was bored. A night out would be good.

Her tribe had decided upon going to Lux. She wasn't sure if she wanted Lucifer poking into that part of her life, but Linda said over the phone that tonight's gathering was to discuss him. She had no idea if that was a good or bad thing, but at least if he did decide to butt in, he would be the one to get all embarrassed about it.

She wondered briefly if the devil even could feel embarrassment.

As it was, she still wanted to know just how long Linda has known Lucifer wasn't just a delusional client and was actually the fallen angel most called the devil.

"Come on, Decker. We're going to be late," Maze stated loudly from the doorway to their apartment and she rolled her eyes.

Maze was wearing one of her all leather ensembles, showing off her body. Normal clothing for her when she went out clubbing...and basically any other time outside that too. Chloe for a few seconds wished she had the courage to go anywhere dressed like that. But then she remembered wearing leather before and why she had sworn off that type of ensemble.

Leave that part of her life to her late teens early twenties grief stricken self.

"We aren't going to be late, Maze. If anything, we're going to be early."

"Every second wasted is too late when it comes to time at Lux. Hey, did you know Linda is dating Patrick, the bartender that took over from me?"

She blinked at that. "Huh. Can't say I've wondered about Linda's love life."

Maze laughed at that one. "Girl, I've been staying with you for months now, and all that time you've never had sex and only one wet dream. You're the least sexual person I know. How do you even manage that?"

Chloe frowned. "By being too busy to care. Come on, let's go."

She led the demon (she was rooming with a demon, shit...) to her car and together they got in, both ready for some fun to ease the boredom of the day away. Naturally, the car didn't want to start right away, since the engine decided it was too lazy for that. Thankfully the car started on the third try.

She always gave it five times before giving up. Seriously, she wondered if anyone else had trouble like this.

Mazikeen of course laughed at her. She was getting used to that though. It came with living with someone else who happened to be an adult. It was like college all over again.

"So, Decker, did Linda tell you about tonight?"

She shook her head. "All she said was a girl's night out with the Tribe to talk about Lucifer. Do you know if Ella is going to make it?"

Maze shrugged her shoulders and lounged in her seat in a way that made it seem the most comfortable place to be lounging. Now, that she envied her roomie for. She wondered what Maze was like as a driver...

"Sure. She'd probably already be there, considering it's now past 7 in the afternoon. She goes and helps Lucifer groom after work with Dan. Dan's busy with the little human so she has to do it on her own tonight."

"Oh. I forgot about that..." She had forgotten about that. Those wings were huge. No wonder he took two people. One for each wing must make the pace go a lot faster. She found herself wishing, not for the first time in the past two days since she had found out he was the devil, that she had believed him about the wings and got in there first. Then she would be getting her hands on those wings daily.

Seriously, those wings were so pretty, it was a shame to waste them on a guy...

Chloe paused thoughts on his wings for a second to ponder if there were female angels, or if they were all male. She had only met two that she knew of after all, Lucifer and Amenadiel.

"Eyes on the road. I'd like to get there in one piece," Maze stated, and Chloe shook her head back to stare at the car in front of hers. "Want to share those thoughts? Anything naughty?"

"Not unless Lucifer's wings are a sexual thing. No, mainly I was wondering if there were female angels."

Maze grunted at that. "Yeah, I thought Lucifer told you of Azrael. She's the angel of death. Lucifer has quite a few sisters, but mostly brothers. You'd have to ask him about them though, and he likely won't say anything. Family is not a good topic for him to talk about."

Chloe hummed her agreement with that. That was one thing that he was very clear on and always had been. His touchy feelings towards family, especially his father.

She still couldn't wrap her head around his father literally being God. The God.

Thankfully, she reached the club before she could lose focus while driving again and pulled to a stop outside the valet. It was good to know the boss, really. She was surprised when she found out he had designated her car a parking space in the private parking lot below the club.

Linda was waiting outside by the curb, bouncing on the spot to keep warm in the cooling night air. As Maze had suspected, Ella was nowhere to be seen.

Linda grinned widely at them as they joined her. "Good, you're here. Let' grab a table, before they're all gone," she stated, grabbing hold of one of her hands and one of Maze's and dragging them past the bouncer on duty, who waved all three right on through to the displeasure of the already growing line of people waiting to get in.

Turned out there was no need to wait for a table. Maze had called ahead and had a table reserved for them. Linda didn't think it odd at all, grinning widely at the demon and sitting down, patting the seat next to her, which Maze soon was sitting in. Chloe joined her on the other side, enough room left for Ella when she decided to join them.

A waiter was soon at the table, asking about orders. And soon enough two whiskeys, a martini and a pina colada were ordered and Chloe was fine with the thought of getting drunk that night.

She rarely let herself have fun, but today was that night for her for this week. Month. She really needed to get a life outside of work.

Chloe was taking her first sip of whiskey when Ella joined them with a huge grin on her face.

"Hey guys. Hope you waited for me and these are the first round," she stated, immediately grabbing at her large glass and sipping her drink through its straw, the umbrella dancing around the outside of the glass as she twirled it with her free hand.

"You didn't miss anything," Linda replied, sipping at her martini.

"Great, then let's get this party started. Who's going to spill first? What order should we do this in, earliest to latest, or latest to earliest?"

"I'll go first. Known him my whole life after all," Maze stated, downing her whiskey and slamming the glass down on the table in front of her.

"I go second then," Linda stated.

"Me third, not that there's much to tell," Ella stated, before grabbing a piece of pineapple and popping it into her mouth.

"Guess I get to listen to everyone else then, huh. Okay. At least then I'll know the mess I have gotten myself into this time."

The others laughed at this and raised their glasses, except Maze who thumped her on the back.

"Well, let's get this story time started then!"

Ad with that said, Maze started telling them about Hell.


	2. Lucifer in Hell

The background here for Maze is made up. No canon for this. But it was fun thinking up backstory.

* * *

Lucifer in Hell

"First thing first, Hell doesn't look like what most people think. It's mainly just endless corridors with ash raining down constantly. Lucifer hates that so much, because he can't keep clean. He's vain in case you haven't noticed."

Chloe, who was taking a sip of her whiskey almost wore it on herself as she suddenly giggled, because truer words had never been spoken. "Oh yeah, I think we all noticed that."

Ella grinned widely at her and nodded. "Oh yeah. You know, he doesn't even need to be groomed every night, but he goes postal if he's not. He gets testy if one of us is late. He's been sulking since 5 this afternoon because Dan couldn't make it."

"Will you tell us?" Linda asked Mazikeen, who nodded at them all.

Chloe took a bigger gulp of her drink. She wasn't exactly sure if she wanted to know what Hell actually looked like, but then she remembered something Lucifer said to her when they were working a case together. The Sin Eater he called that guy.

"Lucifer once said that Hell looked like the server for a company, except with less blinky lights and more ash..."

Maze laughed at that and nodded her head. "Yeah, he's not wrong. Hell is long corridors of rooms or crypts, depending on how naughty or dangerous you are. The real dangerous ones get locks with theirs. They don't feel guilt, you see, so they could exit their Hell. Those bastards are so unlucky. They're stuck with nothing but blackness for all eternity with the means to get out, but not being able to. They go mad so quick."

And, yep, that was it. Chloe was positive she would utterly hate that and made it her mission in life to never do anything bad ever again, just to make sure she got into Heaven. By the looks on both Linda and Ella's faces, they both agreed with her.

"What about the guilty?' Ella asked, leaning forwards slightly. Chloe sighed. Trust the Catholic to ask the real questions here.

"They don't need locks. Their guilt keeps them locked in their rooms. Hell is a lot of different moments. Each person gets trapped in their now individual worst moment and forced to live it over and over again. Most of us demons hang out in these rooms and do a bit of torturing of our own, depending on the event they see over and over. I miss that."

That didn't faze any of them. They all knew Maze was a demon, and she was definitely aggressive. She now held a job as a bounty hunter and loved it. Chloe was always stopping Maze from doing things that went too far. Of course, that was before she found out she was a demon...

"So, what exactly did Lucifer do there?" she asked, before she could stop herself.

Maze grinned. "Well, he made sure that locked doors stayed locked, that no souls are seen wandering aimlessly through the corridors. He would go in some rooms to pay with people when he was feeling extra bored. He basically ran the place, made sure it was all in working order. T wasn't the most exciting job, but he did enjoy going off to see what people did. He found a real sense of justice through it, you know? An eye for an eye kind of justice. He believes that a punishment should fit the crime.'

They all nodded at that, since that was also something they obviously all knew. She didn't think it was true though when he had said he quit because he was bored before she knew. It sounds like Hell was actually a very boring place for him. Huh. Who would have thought? No wonder he didn't want to go back. That in itself would be the worst punishment for Lucifer, who was so gregarious and openly playful and always seeking out fun.

To spend most of his time patrolling empty ash filled corridors, checking locks and nothing else to do but go in a room just to have company. It definitely sounded like his hell to Chloe.

"Oh my God, the poor guy," Ella said, and she nodded along with that. She saw Linda frown, but do the same.

"How did you end u meeting him and becoming his protector?" Linda asked and Chloe perked up, because this is what she had been waiting for. They were after all supposed to be telling each other how they met and learned Lucifer actually was the devil.

"Well, I was way younger back then. I was training to become the best fighter I could. There are quite a lot of souls in Hell that have a lot of fighting skills. I was learning to fight with a sword by this guy who lived in the medieval period of your planet for a reprieve from the torture. Lucifer just walked right on in."

Linda giggled at that and shook her head. Ella grinned. Chloe had no idea what to think, other than that he didn't respect anyone's privacy, including the dead. But she guessed a knock wouldn't be heard, guessing on what is inside a personal Hell block. And a lack of privacy would be a big one for her.

"So you were learning to fight, and he just randomly chose the room you were in?" she asked.

"Yep. And soon enough he was joining me every time I went in a room to learn anything. He watched as I grew more and more competent, until no one could beat me in a fight unless they were better. And very few are better. Stronger, maybe, but not better. It was about a century in before he asked if I would be his personal everything. What else was I going to say? He was my ruler, my lord. And he liked what I did. Not many demons were interested in anything but the torture. I got lucky."

"And, naturally, you were born knowing who and what he was, considering you were raised in Hell," Linda stated, and she nodded at that one.

Maze nodded too, sitting a bit taller at that, like she was proud of her heritage. It wouldn't surprise Chloe at all if she was. She would understand the reaction better, if home to Maze wasn't Hell itself.

Okay, so maybe she wasn't exactly taking things as well as she had hoped she would. At least she had plenty of time to get used to the weird things. She did live with Maze after all and they were friends.

"So, my turn next then?" Linda asked, even thogh they had already established that.

Chloe leaned forwards, because Linda's reaction was the one she was personally waiting for.

"Go for it, girl," Ella stated, taking a sip of her drink.

Linda grinned. "Alright, this is how I learned about him."

And with that, Linda started her part of the tale.


	3. Lucifer in Therapy

Lucifer in Therapy

"Alright, first there are ground rules here. Lucifer gave me permission to tell you how I found out, because, yes, he knows we're discussing this. In fact, it was his idea we do. He thought it would good for you, Chloe to understand how we all felt and reacted after finding out he is actually the devil. And I agreed with him on that. For months I was the only human who knew and I had zero people to talk to about it except Lucifer himself and...well, his therapy isn't about me, it's about him. So I felt very alone."

"Hey!" Maze said, her voice carrying both anger and hurt in equal measure.

Linda leaned over and patted her hand. "Maze, you're not exactly people and you're biased. I meant humans."

Maze straightened up in her seat and grinned. "Why not just say that next time?"

Linda shook her head, but smiled. "Maze was the one that got me to realise that just because I knew that Lucifer wasn't delusional when he called himself the devil, didn't mean that he wasn't the same guy that I had been seeing for months."

Chloe and Ella nodded at her, before Chloe did a double take. "Oh God, were you still sleeping with him when you found out?!"

Ella almost choked on her drink at hearing that.

"Whoa, way unprofessional."

"Before things go any further with this, no, I stopped sleeping with him after I joined you two on your case. I got so lost in his aura I couldn't see it. But, as soon as it was brought up to me, I knew that had to stop. And it did. And wouldn't you know it, things between me and Lucifer as a professional relationship worked a lot better."

Ella nodded and raised her glass to that. Chloe grinned and shook her head. Trust her friend to think that a great accomplishment. And that brought something up in her mind.

"How come you didn't go for jumping him?" she asked Ella.

Ella blinked and shrugged. "He's not my type. I prefer women."

"Oh, that explains a lot," Chloe stated. She remembered Ella's lines about wishing she had called Linda's phone sex company. Or how she was never affected by Lucifer.

Maze grinned widely at Ella and Ella shook her head. "I don't do friends with benefits."

Chloe rolled her eyes, because things were getting ridiculous if they started flirting with each other. "Okay, so you weren't sleeping with him and he knows about tonight," she stated, wanting to get back on topic.

Linda frowned and nodded. "As I said, there are ground rules. Number one being I am not telling you anything we discuss in sessions. I have never and will never betray him in that way. I say this, because he revealed himself as the devil to me in a session. He was...very upset about something and I just reached my limit. I couldn't tell what was real or delusion. I gave him the ultimatum to either tell me who he really was or I couldn't be his therapist any longer. Well, he liked me as a therapist because he knows me now and didn't want to lose the professional relationship we had built up. So, he showed me who he truly was."

Ella nodded while sipping at her drink. Chloe frowned and added up the times. "Wait. How did he show you? He didn't have his wings by that time. He'd burnt them on the beach."

Linda shook her head. "That he will have to tell and show you himself. Sorry, but that is his story to tell and not mine. He's trying to get to that point now, he is. There are reasons he is afraid to show you all, and one of them is because of my reaction to finding out."

Chloe and Ella both leaned forwards, hanging on to what she was saying, and wanting to know of her reactions.

Linda shook her head. "I did not take it well. At all. I became paranoid. I was scared of everything. I locked myself in my office, cancelled all my appointments and put extra sets of locks on my door so no one could get in."

Chloe stared at her with her mouth slightly open in shock. "Oh, wow. Wait, is that the time when he was constantly complaining that he broke you and you cancelled a session on him?"

Ella's straw dropped out of her mouth and into the half empty glass in front of her. "Wow. That's a wild reaction to have."

Linda lowered her eyes to her martini, before draining the rest of her drink. "Yes it was a wild reaction, and yes, I am guessing it was at that time, since I have only ever cancelled one week with him. And I can completely understand why he thought he had broken me. It was...very hard to wrap my head around. You're lucky in that you already know who and what he is before he shows you. I didn't. I thought he was a normal, slightly deluded human being who was trying to make his life better by making up elaborate stories."

Chloe went to take another sip of her own drink only to find the glass empty. She looked down at it. "Well, I don't know about all of you, but I am way too sober for this..." she stated, and looked towards the bar.

Maze slammed her hands down on the table. "I'll get the second round. I already know this part anyway."

The three human women watched her stalk her way to the bar. Chloe then turned her head back to Linda. "So, your reaction was bad and it freaked him out?"

"He just showed me something in complete trust and I froze on him. I couldn't move. I couldn't do anything but stare and shake. And yeah, I cried. I reacted badly. He should have waited until he wasn't in such a bad place, but I didn't give him a choice and it almost destroyed me."

"Dude, that's a way worse reaction than me. Or Dan who was with me at the time," Ella stated and Chloe blinked at her.

"Lucifer told me your reactions. Sort of."

Ella grinned at her. "Oh yeah, but the others don't know so shush. My story to tell."

Smiling slightly, she nodded. "Okay."

Maze returned with their next round of drinks, and put them in front of the right people. Ella with another cocktail, Linda a glass of red wine and both herself and Chloe whiskey. Chloe picked up her glass and sips it, wanting the burn of the alcohol to try and bring her back to the club properly. She was seeing dozens of people screaming for no reason, just by looking at Lucifer. A reflection of some...thing she couldn't quite make out flashing in her mind. She shook her head. No, not until Lucifer fully shows her and she actually truly understands what she saw will she freak out.

"Ella, it's your turn," Linda stated, clearly not wanting to say anything else, lest it clashes with her doctor patient confidentiality she had with Lucifer, due to things happening in a session.

Chloe turned to Ella, who was busy finishing of her first drink.

"Sure, you wanna hear my short but sweet tale of how I found out Lucifer was the devil? Here it is."

And with that, Chloe sighed, she guessed she was also about to hear Dan's reaction as well and she wasn't sure she wanted to know that.


	4. Lucifer at Home

Lucifer at Home

"Well, no use giving you any kind of info beforehand, because there is none for me. I can merrily spread the wingy news around and not hurt anyone's feelings along the way," Ella stated, before taking a sip of hr drink.

"Yes, both you and Chloe got introduced to him by his wings. You're so lucky..." Linda said, staring into her drink and stirring it with a finger.

Chloe frowned. "Are you telling us about Dan too?"

Ella nodded. "Bit hard not to, since he was there every step of the way. Except for a few minutes."

Chloe sighed, but nodded. She supposed it would be a bit much to omit him from the details. She just really didn't like the fact that Lucifer had told Dan before her. She wasn't fussy over him having told Linda, because that is something she would need to know, and Ella was just no nice and personable, she couldn't blame him for wanting to tell her.

She will never get used to the fact that he told her last...

"So!" Ella stated out loud, ripping her away from her thoughts of stirring jealousy. "Lucifer came to me when I was working in the lab. Well, technically, he was in there when I was working out in the field, you know, but he was waiting for me in the lab. And he asked me to help him groom his wings."

"And you believed him?"

Ella snorted and shook her head. "Not at first. I told him he should talk about it to Linda. He said that everyone was suggesting that. Then he told me to go to his apartment that night after work whether or not I believed him and see for myself. It was at least some kind of warning. I think Dan thought he was talking about a bird he had gotten as a pet or something, because he was chatting about Dusty on the way and wondering how much bigger these wings would actually be."

All four of them laughed at that, because a winged human shaped being has wings larger than any bird on Earth. She wondered what his siblings' wings might look like. She wondered if she would meet any of them other than Amenadiel.

It occurred to her just then that the handsome black man was also an angel. Huh. Well, of course he would be.

She was being very slow on the uptake since finding out Lucifer was actually the devil.

She took a sip of her drink and hoped the others didn't notice her wandering mind.

"So, me and Dan get to Lucifer's apartment and, what do you know, he's standing right there in the middle of his living room with those wings out and flexing. They were, as he said, growing in the new feathers. Poor guy was so uncomfortable."

Chloe held up a hand to stop Ella from going any further. "Wait, am I the only one here who didn't see what that looked like?"

Linda patted her hand and nodded. "I wouldn't worry too much of it. Vain as he is, he was reluctant to let me see them, and I forced his hand n the name of therapy. It's basically like a lot of quills which grow out into feathers. It looked weird and very uncomfortable and he was extremely shy about them."

Ella grinned and nodded. "He is, it's amazing to see him so body shy, since he's usually such a show off. He can be standing in front of you completely naked and not have an ounce of worry or shame, but the moment he has a pinfeather, all deals are off. Anyway, Dan took one look and fainted dead away. I stared for a bit, said 'huh' and then followed him to the ground."

Grinning, Chloe shook her head. "Lucifer told me that. Said my reaction was at least slightly better, since I stayed conscious."

Ella frowned. "Hmm, not quite sure how we made it to the couch, so I guess Lucifer must have carried us. I woke up a few minutes later, to see the wings were still attached to him and definitely real. And my whole world changed. I mean, I was religious unlike the rest of you, so I think it was easier on me. My personal version of the devil was actually pretty much exactly what Lucifer is, so I didn't really find it that hard to believe. And so that's how I found out and my reaction to it. Short, sweet and to the point."

They were silent for a few seconds before any of them said anything, taking it in the same way they did with Maze and Linda, but with less drinking and more thoughtful looks. She wanted to see body shy Lucifer now it had been pointed out to her. She guessed she had to wait until he moulted to see that though.

"Does anyone here know how often he moults?"

Maze nodded. "I think on Earth here it would amount to once a year. It lasts about two weeks. Trust me, you won't miss it."

Chloe nodded at that. "So, I guess it's my turn now?"

The other three women nodded at her with expectant looks on their faces and she realised they were all genuinely interested. They had all just told or heard three different tales and were ready for hers. It made little sense to her, but it was what this night was for.

"Okay, but it isn't very exciting. I found out when I interrupted the Netflix night on Thursdays Lucifer started with Dan and Ella."

"Hey! Dusty is there too! He needs quality flock time too, you know? He's a bird and understands flock better than us. We took a lot of cues off that bird."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Oh yes, how could I possibly have forgotten all about the flying menace. Anyway, Lucifer was sitting there with his wings out and folded around Dan and Ella, while Dusty sat on a perch by the lounge. I thought I had imagined things, because they disappeared in under a second. It was jut a flash of feathers really."

Linda leaned forwards towards her. "Don't worry about that. he probably did it to keep you sane. He told me once that an angel's wings can make someone go insane just as much as what he showed me, except in a different way. Dan, Ella and myself were lucky in that we saw them first without feathers and got used to them as they grew in. You got the full blunt force of divinity. It's amazing you didn't go mad."

Chloe blinked at that. "Huh, he said something to me like that once ages ago, but I didn't believe him. Huh. Well, Ella and Dan said it was unfair for me not to know and encouraged him to take me to his study and show me properly."

"Nest. Not a study anymore."

Rolling hr eyes, she sighed loudly. "Fine, the nest which used to be his study. Happy? Whose story is this?"

Ella held up her hands and grinned at her. "Sorry. Go on then."

"Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, he took me to his study nest of pillows and blankets, which by the way is really comfortable, and he showed me his wings again and that they weren't fake and let me touch them and everything. I kind of went all light headed and was glad I was on pillows for a soft landing when I kind of blanked on him. I didn't fully lose consciousness, but it was near enough to it for my tastes. And then we talked about him being the actual devil and he said he'd like me to join his flock but...I don't know if I would fit in."

Ella punched her lightly on the shoulder. "Come on, sister, we'd love to have you join us. You'll just have to get used to weird things and you'd be at the bottom of the hierarchy Lucifer has gotten all made up for himself because order is important to him."

She nodded. "Yeah, he told me about that. Sort of. Not really. Look, I just don't know if he really wants me there or if he's just asking for having it be bigger by one more."

Linda laughed. "Oh, trust me, if he didn't want you to be part of it, he never would have asked."

Ella nodded. "He rarely lies about anything, especially if it's important to him. You were his first friend and his partner. You are important to him."

That made her feel a lot better actually and she smiled shyly. "Well, if he asks again, I am seriously thinking of taking him up on the offer. Guess with him around I will have to get used to weird things anyway. Why not add just one more thing."

"That's the spirit," Ella stated and gave her a hug.

Chloe was beginning to think one and a half glasses of whiskey was enough to get her drunk, because things were beginning to not make sense. And then, as the saying goes, speak of the devil and he shall appear.

Lucifer entered the club through his private elevator and strutted his way around, greeting everyone he met with handshakes, casual touches and looks of desire. Lucifer was in his element here at Lux. This wasn't the first time she had just watched him being the highly social club owner lording over his people.

When he spotted them at their table, he grinned widely, waved, before he tapped his watch with two fingers and pointed at the piano.

The next hour was full of his music.

And she felt like she finally knew what peace felt like.

She also knew that bubble was likely to be broken the moment he stopped playing, because he kept giving her the eye across the piano.

She knew he would immediately be over there with them, sharing a drink or two and probably going to ask again.

Well, this time she was ready.


	5. Lucifer's Ladies

Lucifer's Ladies

"Hello ladies! And what do I owe the pleasure of this get together tonight?' were the first words out of Lucifer's mouth when he joined them at their table after he had grabbed himself his own drink at the bar.

"Hello, Lucifer," Linda replied after Maze had elbowed her in the side. "I took on your idea and we have been discussing how we found out about you and your wings."

"Oh! Lovely. I wasn't sure if you would or not."

"I said I thought it was a good idea, Lucifer."

He nodded. "Yes, you did. Ah, well, how's it going, then?" he asked, and his eyes went to land on her. They stared at each other for a second, before his eyes left hers to stare intently into his drink instead.

"We're all finished with that. Well, I am going to find someone to have sex with," Maze stated, got up out of her seat, climbed over Lucifer who was now in her way and went off to stalk the crowds for the perfect vi... bed partner for the night.

Chloe closed her eyes. "Do I want to go home if she takes her latest conquest with her? She can be as loud or as kinky as she wants tonight, because Trixie's not home. I'll never get any sleep."

Ella at her side giggled and thumped her gently on her shoulder. "She probably wants you to join in, girl. Point of nights like this is to enjoy yourself."

Chloe smiled and nodded. "Yeah, but I just...I am not like Maze."

Linda reached out and squeezed one of her hands. "You don't have to be, Chloe. Enjoy yourself how you like to, not how anyone else wants you to."

And that made her feel a whole lot better about things. "Yeah. And there's something that I want to know, Lucifer. Maze told us you met her in one of the cells in Hell by pure chance. You must have run into millions of demons like that. Why choose her?"

And with that, Lucifer smiled brightly at her. "Detective! Always asking the hard hitting questions. But this one is easy to answer. She was different. I like different. Most demons prefer to do nothing but their trade work. A little torture here, a little disembowelling there, you know, demon stuff. She wanted to learn to defend herself, how to become a deadly tool with nothing but her bare hands or weapons she had barely used. She wanted to learn different things, not just what she was instinctively given at her birth."

She stared at him. "Seriously? Because she wanted to learn? That's it?"

He shrugged. "Even that tiny bit of individuality in a species that doesn't have Free Will is amazing. Don't knock it Detective. I encourage that type of behaviour in her. She's her own person, not just another stock demon. Especially one that came from Lilith."

"Whoa, she's one of the Lilim? Awesome!" Ella stated, before slurping up the last of her drink, ate a slice of fruit and got up. "Well, I am going to go dancing. Anyone want to join?"

Lucifer looked like he would join her, but decided to stay seated. Linda drained her glass, got up, stumbled slightly and grinned. "Drank that wine a little fast. I'm fine. I'll dance with you, Ella."

"Cool," Ella stated, grabbing hold of the hand Linda was holding out and helped her around Lucifer.

And then things got awkward.

Lucifer, shifting in the seat until he was fully facing her instead of hanging half off that side, lightly cleared his throat. "So, alone at last, Detective."

Chloe sucked in a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, yes we are."

They fell into an uneasy silence, staring at each other in turns and staring at rapidly emptying glasses when not looking at the other. It wasn't until Lucifer's glass was completely empty that he sighed and the talk she had been dreading started.

"So...have you thought about my offer?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Yes, I have. And, well. I, I think I would like that. I just don't know if I'll fit in or not, Lucifer. You've already gotten yourself and the others sorted out into a system that works for you. Would I even fit in anywhere?"

He grinned at her. "Of course you would fit. There may be a few hiccups along the way, but that's normal for a growing flock. There's nothing to worry about. And at least I know you accept me for being me now. That's a huge relief."

She nodded, finished off her drink and rubbed at her forehead. "What would I have to do? Am I going to be put in a role I don't fit?"

He frowned. "No, you'll just find your own footing, just like the rest of us did. I mean, the only reason me and Ella got so cuddly is because of Dusty taking us as a mated pairing so he wouldn't be jealous of Dan being close to me. Just so you know, the bird will take any move of overt affection towards Dan as encroaching on his territory. Don't do it. He may also get territorial over mine and Ella's supposed mated status, but in that I would be the one fighting for her. Or she for me, depending on which way you are perceived to go. But it isn't necessarily any of his business, but he'll stick that overgrown beak of his into your business."

And for some reason that just sounded hilarious to her and she looked at Lucifer being all serious and started giggling. "Overgrown beak noted. So, what should I do then? To join up with your flock?"

He shrugged. "Well, you could start by coming with me on Friday next week. I'm going to start relearning to fly. Linda will be there too. Personally, I'm going to need as much positive feelings as possible then. I'm kind of really worried about it..."

And that perked her up a lot. "You'll let me see you learn to fly?"

He nodded. "Mind you, I haven't in a long time, so I am probably going to be starting from scratch. Still not strong enough to get in the air, but I am working on strengthening the wings daily, so they should be ready by then. The support would be welcome at this point."

Smiling widely, she reached out and grabbed one of his hands. "I'll be there. Thank you for inviting me."

He nodded, while looking at the table, before taking a deep breath. "You can stay here tonight in my spare room, if you're worried about what Maze will do in her room at your flat."

She frowned at him. "In a room with no door, while you more than likely will be off sleeping with one or more people in another room without a door?"

He smiled widely at her. "Well, I give you my word that I will not ask you to join in, I will be quiet in whatever activities I choose to do and I will make sure that you are not hit on in the morning."

She blinked on that. Considering his tastes, keeping things quiet and letting her get a full night's sleep is a much better bet than going home and being kept up late by the noises coming from Maze's room. She shrugs. "Alright. Just as long as I am not hit on in the morning. By anyone, Lucifer."

He held up a hand. "I give you my word, and my word is my bond."

She nods at that. "Okay, I will stay here. Oh, look, Maze is already taking someone home with her."

Maze was then leaving with not one, but two women hanging off of her. She wondered if one of them or both were one of the highly sought after Brittanys. She had no idea what was up with Lucifer and people with that name.

She watched Lucifer watch Maze walk out with her conquests and smile. "Well then. No going home for you. You can go upstairs now if you want, but I'd much rather have a dance first."

And with that, he held out his hand and beckoned her out to the dance floor.

It took her a few seconds, before she decided to dance with him. She grabbed his hand and they walked out to the dance floor, deciding to stay close to where Ella and Linda were holding court. She saw Linda throw glances at the bar and wink every now and then, before remembering she was dating the barkeeper.

And for the first time in what felt like her entire life, she felt accepted and part of a true group.

She wondered if it was this feeling that made Lucifer start accepting people as flock to begin with. Chloe found herself looking forward to a social event that had nothing to do with her daughter.

She was going to see Lucifer fly.


End file.
